5 Kittytastic Ways to Make This “The Year of the Cat” #HealthyMeetsHappy

This post is sponsored by Wellness® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated for helping share the availability of Wellness Complete Health and NEW Complete Health Grain Free Cat Food available at PetSmart, but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Neither Wellness or PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

While 2017 may be The Year of the Rooster according to the Chinese Zodiac, we’re going in a different direction in my house. Since Wellness® declared it The Year of the Cat, we’ve decided to run with that! Trust me, after last year, my cats have earned a year dedicated to them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re spoiled 24/7/365, but 2016 was a very dog-focused year. We lost our two older girls and gained a crazy Pharaoh Hound that turned their world (and our house) upside-down. Yep, they definitely deserve a year that’s all about them! Here’s how we’re making it happen!

5 Ways to Make it The Year of the Cat for Your Kitty

Get creative with boxes

I have an insane amount of cardboard boxes, so I decided to DIY my own cat condo. It’s still a work in progress. I have all the pieces, but they’re a bit spread out. Until I get the final elements I need to pull it all together, I got a little creative with the boxes. All of my cats have their own “cave,” decorated with brightly colored chalk markers. Maybe you’re thinking “cats don’t notice that stuff,” and maybe they don’t, but it sure is sure is fun to make them. Plus, it gives me a chance to really focus on what each cat loves to make their boxes truly special!

Plant a cat-friendly garden

While three of my four cats are strictly indoor cats, I do have one that goes outside. We also care for a family of ferals. I like to plant catnip for my cats in my backyard. I harvest it for my indoor kitties, and Willow pretty much just eats it right off the plant. This year I am planning to also plant some out front for the feral family. They get so few treats and have such a rough life. Catnip is one of the few plants that can survive my black thumb, so even if you think you’re not a gardener, give it a try. Trust me, if your cats go nuts for the store-bought stuff, they’ll go absolutely bonkers for the fresh stuff!

Dedicated Play Time

Poor Zoe, she LOVES to play “dot” (laser pointer). Alas, so does Freya. The moment we bring out the laser pointer, Zoe gets stampeded by a 50-lb Pharaoh Hound who runs as fast as a Greyhound but without the grace. Zoe also loves catching bugs…as does Freya. Zoe finds a moth that made its way into the house, Freya swoops in and eats it. Needless to say, I think Zoe is starting to resent the Red Devil we brought into her life.

To make up for it, we spend as much time as possible playing “dot” with Zoe when Freya is either outside or in another room. I made sure Zoe has dedicated personal playtime at least once a day. It gives her some much-needed exercise! She’s really the only cat who loves to play that way. Alex prefers to play with the dog, which, let me tell you, has its own set of problems. I swear, he thinks he’s a puppy, too. That cat can’t cat but he sure can dog!

Check those checkup records

I feel awful admitting this, but with all the loss and insanity last year, I wasn’t as on top of my cat’s checkups as I should have been. Along with losing my two older girl dogs last year, we also lost our boy dog earlier this year. Exactly a week later, we lost one of our cats, Prue. At one point, we were spending all our vet budget and energy on keeping them all alive through their illnesses. My dogs were lost to age-related illnesses, and Prue was fighting kidney disease and other illnesses for a long time. When you’re struggling with sick pets, it’s easy to push off the annual checkups for your healthy pets. It’s time to get everyone back on track so that they STAY healthy.

Focus on Feeding Time

Most important of all, we’re continuing to focus on feeding our cats only the best possible nutrition. We’ve always fed them a grain-free diet when it comes to dry food. Both Zoe and Willow prefer dry over wet, so it’s incredibly important to me that it’s a nutrient-dense food. Willow is prone to constipation, her food can not have any extra junk in it. Zoe is picky, so it has to taste good. Alex gets a stomach ache if his dry food has any grain in it. Mally is almost 21 years old and, oddly, is the least picky. Still, since she’s my ancient lady, I want her to eat right. She mostly eats wet food but does like a bit of dry every now and then.

Wellness Complete Health™ Grain-Free Recipes, available at PetSmart, take care of every one of my cats’ needs and preferences in one bag. Seriously, one bag. It comes in three options:

Adult Deboned Chicken and Chicken Meal

Indoor: Salmon and Herring Meal

Kitten: Deboned Chicken and Chicken Meal

Since all my cats are past the kitten years, I grabbed a bag of the Deboned Chicken and the Indoor Salmon and Herring. This month, we’re doing Deboned Chicken. Next month, we’re switching it up and changing to the Salmon and Herring. No matter which option you choose, all of the Wellness® Complete Health Grain Free recipes are formulated with carefully chosen ingredients and vitamins and minerals for optimal health. They are also free from corn, carrageenan, soy and wheat as well as artificial colors and flavors.

I always know where the Wellness food is in my local PetSmart. It’s usually the most colorful display! I know what’s inside matters much more than the packaging on the outside, but the Wellness display always makes me smile.

While we’re feeding our cats Wellness dry food, they have a huge line of wet food and treats as well. I did pick up a few Wellness Healthy Indulgence wet food pouches as a special treat for Zoe. See, she’s not a big fan of pate food. Unfortunately, all my other cats are, and that’s the main type of wet food that we use. I sneak her a bit of the Indulgence Shreds or Morsels when the other cats aren’t looking.

I’m looking forward to telling you more about our experiences with Wellness Complete Health next month. In the meantime, visit PetSmart® to check out and purchase your cat’s favorite Wellness® Complete Health and Complete Health Grain Free options. Check out the PetSmart Facebook and Twitter page to keep up with news, and follow Wellness on Instagram for inspiration!

How do you make every year The Year of the Cat for your kitties? Share below!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wellness®. The opinions and text are all mine.

I love the love you have for your pets, this is so important. I did not grow up knowing that this type of care for a pet was possible. I have always wanted one and worry about not being able to give it care enough. It’s good to see how others do it so I can know what to do when the time comes!

Your cat has such an expressive face!! Our cats are not into playtime at ALL — I’ve tried everything, they hate the fishing lines, run away from the catnip-stuffed toys…the only thing they seem to have any interest in is their cardboard scratchy box (when they’re not scratching up the couch that is, sigh).

Omg such a cute cat! That’s awesome that you are focused on the ingredients. I am really crazy about that with my dog, too. It’s basically the same way as eating whole foods or eating paleo when you’re human!

These look so good! I have a series on my blog where my kitties try different food and then review it and I can tell you that’s it’s hard to find a really good food here in the uk! Would love to try this brand, perhaps someone could bring me some form the US haha x